Monday, May 11, 2015

Managing change will define us

Well
the Westminster election is over and the shape of the next British government is
now known.We also know the strengths of
the parties in the north.

For
the political anorak it’s an early Christmas present. The election opens up
months, even years of debate and analysis. For most citizens its importance
will be in who delivers jobs and housing; peace and prosperity; and how we
answer critical questions around the future of the Health Service, and the
threat to other public services. In the
immediate term the big question will be whether the Stormont House Agreement
can finally be made to work.

These
are significant challenges, especially given the very different ideological
positions the parties hold. And all of this will be made more problematic given
that we are only 12 months away from an Assembly election.

However,
there is another underlying and formidable challenge which must also be
addressed. How do we break down the sectarian barriers that have bedevilled
society in this part of the island since the plantation? How do we build an
inclusive community?

Some
progress has been made in recent years. But sectarianism remains the greatest
obstacle to political stability and equality for citizens. And how could it be
otherwise.

The
plantation of Ulster introduced a new dynamic into Irish society. Unlike other
colonies, where colour and race where the distinctive features between the
colonists and natives, in Ireland, and especially in the north, it was religion.
Protestants were loyal to the union. Catholics wanted independence.

The
partition of the island almost 100 years ago exasperated this problem. The
northern state was forged out of a sectarian headcount. Two thirds of the
population was protestant and loyal to the union; and one third was Catholic
and excluded and discriminated against. Neither section where well served by
partition.

In
the decades since then that broad political characterization of society in this
part of the island has not changed. And election results for the different
parties up to now have reflected this.

But
under the surface change has been and is taking place.

Last week ‘The Detail’ –an
investigative news and analysis website which produces in-depth reporting on
issues of public interest - published several days of articles and
statistics about the north. They looked at demographics, orange marches, the
Irish language and much more. It is a must read for anyone interested in
developments in this part of the island.

Its focus was the future and the need for political leaders to
realise that however hard some may try to avoid change that they can’t. It is
happening every single day. Whether you are a unionist or a
nationalist, a republican or loyalist, or none of these, political and societal
transformation is taking place.

The census results in December 2012 reflect this.
For the first time since partition the protestant population is less than half of
the north’s population. It stands at 48%. The Catholic population is identified
as 45%.

But as The Detail reveals, “census data asking people to state a current religion or religious belief, showed that an increased
portion fell outside the two main blocs. A total of 17% did not state a
religion or indicated they had no religion”.

The erosion of previously established certainties
was further highlighted when the census figures looked at the issue of ‘national identity’. Only
40% (39.89%) of citizens in the north
stated that they had a British only identity. A quarter (25.26%) stated that
they had an Irish only identity and just over a fifth (20.94%) had a northern
Irish only identity. That’s a long way from 1920 when some two thirds of people
were unionist and British. It also reflects a growth in the number of citizens
who increasingly see themselves as Irish.

The figures also reveal that 11% of the
population was born outside of the north. Sectarian violence has always been a
major problem but in recent years racist, homophobic and hate crime have also been
on the increase.

The response of the institutions in the
north has, for many reasons, been inadequate in dealing with this problem. Much
more is needed to provide tough measures to defend and promote the equal rights
of all citizens, including the introduction of a Bill of Rights.

In the same year as the census figures were published ‘The Detail’
released figures from the annual school census which showed that significant
demographic change was taking place. In the 1,070 schools in the north 51% of
the 311,559 schoolchildren were Catholic, 37% Protestant and 12 'other', which
includes other Christian, non-Christian and no religion/religion unknown.

The demographic and societal changes
that are taking place in the north, as well as in the rest of the island, and
even across the sea to Scotland and England and Wales, mean that Irish republicans
and nationalists must look afresh at how we engage with our unionist neighbours
and the increasing numbers of citizens in the six counties who define
themselves as northern Irish, as well as those who have consciously set
themselves outside the traditional definitions of Catholic and Protestant.

For a republican party, rooted in
secularism; committed to equality for every citizen; and eager to achieve a
united Ireland, this is a unique and exciting opportunity. There is an onus on
us who want maximum change to persuade others of its desirability.

In part it means that we must demonstrate in a
tangible way our objective of building a fair and inclusive, multi-cultural and
pluralist society. A society which celebrates the diversity of all
our people regardless of religious persuasion, cultural identity, political
affiliation, ethnic origin, or sexual orientation. For example, in those Councils where Sinn Féin is
the largest party we must prove by our policies and our actions that we are
serious about protecting and defending the rights of citizens. In the Assembly
and Executive too our words and actions must match our republican rhetoric.

Republicans have long recognised and stated
publicly that change is inevitable. It is how we manage that change that will
define all of us.